Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
Union of two national parks across the US-Canada border.
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park brings together Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier National Park in the United States. Each park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and their combined area is a World Heritage Site. The idea for a borderless park grew from the work of several early figures, including Canadian ranger George "Kootenay" Brown and American ranger Albert Henry "Death-on-the-Trail" Reynolds. In 1931, Rotary Clubs from Cardston, Alberta, and Montana met at the Prince of Wales Hotel and drafted a resolution calling for the park's creation. Canadian Brigadier-General John Smith Stewart and U.S. Congressman Scott Leavitt negotiated the agreement. The U.S. Congress passed the enabling act in December 1931, and the Senate approved it in March 1932. Canada delayed its own bill until after the U.S. acted, and faced further delays from supporters of the International Peace Garden between Manitoba and North Dakota. The Canadian act received royal assent on May 26, 1932. The parks were formally united on June 18, 1932, at Glacier Park Lodge, with a dedication address by Charles Arthur Mander (later Sir Charles Arthur Mander, 2nd Baronet). The Canadian ceremony was postponed by the Great Depression and finally took place in July 1936, when Lieutenant Governor William L. Walsh dedicated a cairn to Kootenay Brown. The two parks remain separately administered with their own entrance fees. In 2017, the International Dark-Sky Association designated the peace park an International Dark-Sky Park. The only road border crossing within the park is the Chief Mountain Border Crossing, which is closed in winter—one of just two such crossings on the U.S.–Canada border.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Alberta, Canada and Montana, United States
- Formed
- June 18, 1932
- Governing Body
- Parks Canada, U.S. National Park Service
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The union of Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park is attributed to a number of individuals throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early proponents included Canadian George 'Kootenay' Brown, a long-time settler and first forest ranger-in-charge of Waterton, and American Albert Henry 'Death-on-the-Trail' Reynolds, an early ranger of the northern portion of Glacier. The Cardston, Alberta, and Montana Rotary Clubs played a significant role, holding a joint meeting at the Prince of Wales Hotel on July 4–5, 1931, which led to a resolution drafted by Samuel H. Middleton.
Reader's Guide
The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park represents a pioneering cross-border conservation effort, uniting two national parks into a single World Heritage Site. The 72nd United States Congress passed an act on December 8, 1931, approved by the Senate in March 1932. The Canadian bill, delayed by protests from proponents of the International Peace Garden between Manitoba and North Dakota, received royal assent on May 26, 1932. The union was achieved on June 18, 1932, at Glacier Park Lodge. The two parks are administered separately and have separate entrance fees. In 2007, the International Dark-Sky Association named it the International Dark-Sky Park. The Chief Mountain Border Crossing is the only road border crossing within the park and is one of only two on the US–Canada border closed in winter.
Did You Know?
- The park's dedication address was given by Charles Arthur Mander (later Sir Charles Arthur Mander, 2nd Baronet) at the Glacier Park Lodge ceremony on June 18, 1932.
- The Canadian ceremony was delayed by the Great Depression and took place in July 1936.
- The Chief Mountain Border Crossing is one of only two US-Canada border crossings closed in winter.
- The park was named an International Dark-Sky Park in 2017.
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